PLDT, Army zero in on Shakey's V-League semis

The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines - PLDT Home Telpad and Army step up their respective Final Four bids as they tangle with Air Force and National U, respectively, today even as Ateneo tries to stay in the hunt against Cagayan Valley in the Shakey’s V-League Season 11 Open Conference quarterfinals at The Arena in San Juan.

The Turbo Boosters and the Lady Troopers share the lead at 7-2 with four playdates left in the single round quarters with both teams going all-out for victories in a bid to close in on the first two berths in the Final Four.

PLDT, coming off a 3-0 rout of NU last Tuesday, takes on an Air Force side reeling from a five-set setback to a resurgent Ateneo last Thursday, upbeat of its chances in the 2 p.m. opener of the first and only triple-bill in the mid-season conference of the league sponsored by Shakey’s and backed by Mikasa and Accel.

Army also hopes to ride the momentum of its 3-1 victory over defending champion Cagayan Valley last Thursday as it faces off with National U at 4 p.m. Trailing the six-team cast with a woeful 3-6 card, the Lady Bulldogs need to sweep their last three games and hope the fourth-running Air Force and No. 5 Ateneo won’t go over six wins to force a playoff for the last semis seat.

Focus will also be on Ateneo, which suddenly revived its semis hopes following back-to-back five-set wins over PLDT and Air Force in the quarters.

But with a 4-5, the Lady Eagles will have a lot of catching up to do to gain at least a tie for the last Final Four spot. Like the Lady Bulldogs, the reigning UAAP champions must sweep their last three matches to stay in the race, including their 6 p.m. face-off with the Rising Suns, in third with a 6-2 slate.